Join Amazon Prime for exclusive deals, fast shipping, and endless entertainment! Sign up now!
Harry Potter fans worldwide are currently in mourning, as news has just broke that legendary actor Sir Michael Gambon has died at the age of 82. Having been in countless other works, Gambon was arguably best known or his iconic role in the Harry Potter series.
The actor died peacefully in the hospital from pneumonia.
Michael Gambon, Actor Known for Playing Dumbledore in Harry Potter Films, Dead at 82 https://t.co/TU3jjXL6ja
— People (@people) September 28, 2023
Gambon was born in Dublin to a seamstress mother and engineer father in 1940. He left school at an early age but still managed to qualify as an engineer seven years later after completing his apprenticeship.
However, it was clear that acting was Gambon’s true passion and he began treading the boards professionally in the early 1960s after being inspired by a local theater group.
His talent did not go unnoticed and he quickly caught the attention of acclaimed Shakespearean actor Laurence Olivier who made him one of the founding members of London’s Old Vic National Theatre alongside other emerging greats such as Derek Jacobi and Maggie Smith.
Gambon went on to have many more successful roles both on TV and movie screens including lead role in 1986’s widely acclaimed “The Singing Detective” which made him a household name in Britain.
Other notable performances include psychotic mob leader in “The Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover” (1989), elderly King George V in “The King’s Speech” (2010) and Lord Salisbury ‘Victoria & Abdul’ (2017).
Frequently nominated for awards, he won multiple accolades such as four British Academy Film Awards for TV work, three Olivier Awards, two Critics’ Circle Theatre Awards plus three ensemble cast Screen Actors Guild Awards – for 2001’s “Gosford Park” and “The King’s Speech”.
To top it off, he was also knighted for services to drama back 1998.
Of course no summary of Gambons career would be complete without mentioning his portrayal of Professor Albus Dumbledore from ‘Harry Potter’.
Sir Michael Gambon has left us after a long life filled with incredible achievements both inside and outside of acting; he will be remembered fondly.
